


Sample

by zombiecheetah



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canonical Character Death, Couch Cuddles, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Crack, Grief/Mourning, Injury Recovery, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, Logyn - Freeform, Loki is an ass, Modern Era, Movie Night, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Shopping, Sleepy Cuddles, Suicidal Thoughts, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tropes, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, costco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-04-30 14:10:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiecheetah/pseuds/zombiecheetah
Summary: Loki Odinson is the Costco customer of nightmares, a rich guy with too much time on his hands pulling pranks all around the store. Sigyn's manager Thor doesn't think it's that big of a deal. When one prank goes too far, Sigyn and Loki will learn just how the other side lives. Modern AU.





	1. Man of Mischief

**Author's Note:**

> I forget where this prompt came from but it was somewhere in the tumblr Logyn tag so thank you!
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting. I love and respond to all of your comments. 
> 
> For fic updates, check out my tumblr!

The Costco was a war zone and he came back every week to challenge her to battle. 

“Loki, come on, really?” Sigyn asked, her voice strained. The Man of Mischief himself had just taken another full tray of samples just as the vendor finished plating, popping one in his mouth and making a face. Sigyn had no idea why he insisted on sucking up all the free food given that the dark green and black suits he wore probably cost a year’s worth of her rent. Technically the samples were unlimited and she would have been just fine not engaging with his usual nonsense but she had seen him throw the last few trays straight into the trash. “You know the food vendors don’t get the nice pay and benefits, right? I think you made the last one cry.”

“I’m simply protecting your other guests from ever having to eat this filth, ” Loki mused in his rich velvet voice, nonchalantly flicking the containers into the trash bin, “I do not think I could think of a more pathetic combination of words than ‘frozen vegetable party poppers.’ Ghastly. Anyhow, who taught you to admonish customers?” 

She adjusted her vest and waved a hand at him. “The man, the myth, the legend. I know you say you’re a consultant but I still think corporate has just come up with a very aggressive mystery shopper program.” 

Loki laughed heartily before finally disappearing, but Sigyn knew he wasn’t through yet. His long black hair and sharp clothes made him an easy find, this time in the book section, pulling all of the books from the shelves and arranging them by his own particular system. She had no idea what possessed him to come back each week to mess with her, and she hadn’t even really minded his hijinks until she found her annual raise had been cut due to ‘lacking efficiency standards.’  And right now she needed every cent she could squeeze out of this place. 

“Can you not rearrange the novels by jacket color, please,” she asked with a false sweetness she usually reserved for babies and small animals. “Because then I have to deal with some lady named Karen asking why our  _ Harry Potter _ books are so spread out while little Jimmy kicks me in the shins because he can’t find  _ Order of the Phoenix _ .”  

“I regret I can not,” he soothed, lips curled into a smile looking completely unrepentant, “You can simply tell this Karen that she and her child are muggles and therefore unworthy of the next installment.” 

The smile she returned to him was the embodiment of faux sincerity, “I actually need this job, Mischief. Not all of us can live that Scrooge McDuck life and harass other people as a hobby.” 

He peered at her for a moment, before standing straight and dusting off the spotless front of his vest. “Well, then, I would like to report a clean up in aisle 4. Some heathen has rearranged all of the books. Also, a future clean up on aisle 7 I haven’t quite decided on yet.”

“I hate you so much,” she grumbled as he walked, no, strutted away, her eyes lingering on his stupidly well-formed ass for a second before she bent down and got back to work. 

***

“Look, I know my brother can be difficult, I mean he was adopted, but he is  _ technically _ one of our customers,” her manager had said when she complained about Loki for what felt like the 200th week in a row. “You’ve been able to manage him just fine. Besides, you wish to be a children’s doctor, do you not? Just think of this as practice.” 

Pros of Thor being her manager: He was nice to look at and listen to, could easily handle heavy boxes, was the best electrician she had ever seen. Cons of Thor being her manager: Getting him to do something he obviously did not want to do was like herding cats and then trying to pull their teeth after. 

“I know your dad is VP or something but it’s not my job to be your brother’s personal hobby. If you just told him he can’t come in the store anymore-”

Thor cut her off with a small grunt of disapproval, leaning back in his chair, his feet up on the desk. “I am in no mood to read the paper tomorrow with the headline, ‘Costco Boots Guest, Enthusiastic Sampling to Blame.’” 

Sigyn sighed. “And yet we both know that would be the best story the paper has printed in years.” 

“May I give you some advice?” he asked, and she gave a short nod, knowing this was Thor talk for suck it up and deal with it. “Just ignore him. It will drive him insane then he’ll just have to ask you out instead of tormenting you each week.” 

Sigyn snorted. “I would rather scrape my eyeballs out with grapefruit spoons than go on a date with your brother.” 

“Oh, he’ll like that. You may not have noticed but he’s a bit dramatic.” 

“No shit,” she muttered, as she turned on her heel to head back out onto the floor, not feeling reassured about the situation at all. 

***

Thor’s advice was much more helpful than Sigyn anticipated. Loki made multiple valiant efforts to get her attention, becoming more desperate as the weeks went by. He tried everything, from rearranging the clothes to pretending to drink Windex to freak out the other customers and at one point he gathered up every copy of _ 50 Shades of Grey  _ and placed them next to the strawberries and whipped cream (although that one did actually make her smile a bit).

“I think he’s getting desperate,” Fandral mentioned to her during one shift where Loki was drawing caricatures of the shoppers and selling them for $20 a pop in the middle of the electronics section. 

“I’m interested but not interested in seeing just how far this escalates before he gets the hint, you know?” Sigyn said with a small smile. “Didn’t the two of you date for a bit?”

“It was mostly sexual,” Fandral purred with a wink. “If you’d ever take me up on ending that dry spell of yours you’d see what I mean.” 

“Grapefruit spoon,” she repeated, making him laugh all the way to the break room. 

The joke that pushed things over the edge was a phallic rearrangement of several large heavy boxes of soap that probably had felt like nothing to his stupidly fit 6′2″ frame but felt like boulders to her. One of the boxes slipped from her grip just as another poorly placed one fell on top of her, making her slam down hard on the concrete floor, a small popping noise and a whirl of pain radiating from her wrist making her bite her lip hard. 

_ FUCK fuck fuck fuck. Don’t swear in front of the customers. Don’t swear in front of the customers. Jesus. Mary Motherfucking Christ. Don’t swear in front of the customers.  _

At least she was able to get up close and personal with her manager’s really nice muscles, as well as his sporty car as he drove her to the urgent care. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked in the first place, we were just short staffed and I have already yelled at my brother and-”

“Thor,” Sigyn said weakly, staring up at the drywall ceiling, trying to decide if the ceiling was dotted or if that was just her eyesight. “I would strongly suggest waiting to talk about this until there’s Vicodin in my system.” 

***

The fracture wasn’t bad enough to need surgery and workers comp meant she was still going to be able to scrape her rent together for the next month and Thor had given her a few weeks off to recover. But the bright blue plaster cast was super annoying especially given that she lived by herself. That night she barely got to her afternoon class at the community college on time, her hair was still soaking wet and dripping down her shoulders. She realized halfway through the lecture that she had failed to wash out all of the shampoo which slowly dried into a sticky wax that coated her waves. 

The last thing she expected when she returned home that night was a knock at her door and Loki’s face staring through the peephole. 

Sigyn opened the door just enough to fit her frame. “What do you want now, Mischief?” 

“You look-” His bottle green eyes were wide as he struggled to find an adjective. He was more dressed down than she’d ever seen him, in a button down and jeans, his own long hair neatly tied back, making her feel even more self-aware of her current state of dishevelment. 

“Like shit, I know. Did you see I wasn’t at work so you decided to harass me at home now?” 

Sigyn had never seen Loki so apologetic as he stood there shuffling his feet. “I came to apologize. I thought it was just a funny little trick, same as the others, not that you would actually get hurt.” 

“And hell is just a sauna,” Sigyn grumbled, looking up at him. “Did your brother also tell you I lost out on a portion of my raise this year because I was constantly cleaning up after you?” 

“I had no idea,” Loki replied, looking shocked. “I’m truly sorry. Is there anything I can do to fix any of this? Perhaps your wardrobe...” his gaze trailed back up to her hair, pausing there for a moment before drifting to her torn gray button-down shirt and pajama bottoms, “Please tell me you have not yet been out in public with this look.” 

“Just class.”

He pointed a long slender finger at her bottoms. “Including the Hello Kitty pajama pants.” 

“Especially the Hello Kitty pajama pants.” 

Loki gave out a low strained breath, rubbing his hands together. “Okay, well, this is going to take some work. If I may-” he nodded inside her door making her raise an eyebrow. 

“Are you suggesting you Pretty Woman me up? Sans the whole prostitution part of course.” 

He rolled his eyes. “I’m suggesting I assist in making you presentable to the general public. And perhaps assist you with your charming little hovel through the duration of your cast.” 

Sigyn rubbed her chin, thinking over his proposition before deciding that a chance like this was never going to present itself again. Besides, he owed her and if he wanted to give her some big dramatic apology she wasn’t going to say no. “Throw in some new clothes and you’ve got yourself a deal,” she finally replied, holding out her hand. 

He paused before taking it. “Nothing with cartoon characters.” 

“You are just not cool enough for Hello Kitty, I get it. Deal.”

Both of them had very strong handshakes. 

***

Loki washed her hair in her kitchen sink working out the dried shampoo from her hair as he stared at the bottle she brought him. 

“Decent hair products are also on the list,” he said with a huff. “I might as well be using dish soap.” 

“Don’t be an ass,” she grumbled, closing her eyes, secretly hoping he wouldn’t stop whatever it was he was doing with his fingers on the back of her scalp. Or maybe it just felt nice given her last encounter of physical affection was...well...maybe a hug from a co-worker? Probably Fandral?

He even helped her blow-dry it with relative ease, and he stared at her once he was through, evaluating his work. “Much better. He gave a sniff. “Though perhaps a bath tomorrow evening would not go amiss.” 

“You are just the epitome of flattery, aren’t you?” Sigyn asked him, raising an eyebrow, “You sure this whole offer of yours wasn’t just a ruse to see me naked, Mischief?”

He scoffed, though his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Trust me, my dear girl, you are just about the last person I wish to see in such a state but it may be worth it if it means you’ll smell better and I can assist in dressing you in something that is not oversized, button-down or elastic.” 

It was his eyes that gave away his slightly less than pure intentions, his gaze quickly trailing over her but she found herself failing to mind. He had teased her so much, why not tease him a bit with something he was never going to have? 

“You’re a really bad liar, you know that?” Sigyn responded with a smile, making him grumble out something that sounded like a good night as he left her for the evening. 

***

When he came back the next night, they got right to it, her not wanting to stretch out the evening in a ball of anxiety. Why was she even anxious about this? A guy like him with his looks, his money, his charm when he applied the effort must have seen thousands of naked bodies in his bed... 

_ Why was she thinking about sex and Loki within the same thought? Ew. Maybe it was time to start cutting back the pain medication.  _

Loki was somewhat gentlemanly about the whole ordeal, keeping whatever comments he had on her state of undress to himself and said barely anything at all until she was once again fully covered in outrageously soft black pajamas that had magically appeared in her dresser. 

“Did I pass?” he asked her as she sat on her bed, trying to cover one of the holes in her duvet. 

She nodded, grabbing a textbook from her nightstand with her good hand and setting it in front of her, flipping to the appropriate page. “I wasn’t worried. I trust you, or at least trust the guilt you’ve expressed.” 

That little piece of information seemed to surprise him and he commented in his dry monotone, “Perhaps the man who broke your arm is a poor place for your trust.” 

It took her a moment to understand his meaning. “Loki, that’s not...no…” Sigyn was speechless for a moment before continuing, “It was an  _ accident _ . I didn’t even...I was mad, sure, but to be perfectly honest I was more angry with your brother for making me lift those stupid boxes.” 

“Apparently, he got into a bit of trouble for that,” Loki said lightly, making her intrigued as to just how often the brothers actually talked because they never did when Loki was at the store. “Shame. Perhaps he should be the one here assisting you.” 

“Hell, no. Your brother is nice enough but I feel like he’d fire me about two days in.”  

“Perhaps you should look for another job then,” Loki suggested, looking a bit happier though as to why he did she had no idea. 

“Show me a job that isn’t super labor intensive, with decent hours, health insurance, and pays as much where I only need a GED and two years of college credit to qualify and I’ll jump right on over.” 

“Your life is quite the mystery,” Loki remarked, staring at the Queen posters she had hanging on her walls. “For instance, knowing what your job pays and taking into consideration general apartment pricing around here, you can not be  _ that poor _ that you have to live in this squalor.” 

Sigyn launched into a well-rehearsed explanation she somehow knew she would need as soon as he offered to help out. “The job pays well and I need just about every cent of it to pay rent, debt, and scrape together enough for tuition. Trying to get a scholarship or two so I can maybe afford to go to the university next year, but I may have to make some adjustments.” She looked up from her textbook. “I’m a lot luckier than most, Mischief. I’m not sure what I would do if I didn’t have health insurance and now worker’s comp.” 

Loki nodded, once again staring at the floor, his hands in his pockets. “I’ll talk to my brother then about restoring your raise. Retroactively, of course. And if he won’t I’ll simply write you a check myself.”

That offer surprised her. “That’s sweet of you but not at all necessary-”

“Forgive me, but I do believe you have just highlighted a number of reasons that it is necessary.”  

She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he was playing at, trying so hard to set things straight with her. Maybe he just truly thought his little visits to the store were a game to her, totally clueless about how they sometimes harmed more than helped. Even if he knew little about her, he had offered up plenty of information about himself through their various exchanges, to the point where she had felt comfortable enough letting him into her ‘hovel.’ 

It clicked. In his own weird snobbish way, he was trying to be her friend. 

“Thank you,” Sigyn finally said, “I really appreciate you looking out for me.”

He smiled back, glowing a bit before jumping about ten feet into the air with a yelp, “What the hell was that?”

“If it’s a mouse, there are traps in the bathroom,” she said nonchalantly as she stared at her book, only looking up when she could feel his gaze burning into her. 

“Alright, fine. You may have a small point about the hovel.”

“You don’t say?” Loki replied dryly, before muttering something she couldn’t hear under his breath as he went to her bathroom to do battle with her hovel’s unwelcome fuzzy inhabitant. 


	2. Between the Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's offer gets better and better but Sigyn suspects there may be more than meets the eye...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I love and appreciate every single comment and kudos. :)

Thor stopped by later that week with a basket and a bright yellow ‘Get Well Soon’ balloon that was the brightest thing in Sigyn’s tiny excuse for a house. He was much more polite about it than Loki, though she could see the same judgemental glances clear as day on his face. 

“I must insist you stay out of work until you are out of that cast,” he said firmly. 

“I’m not entirely useless, Thor, I can still greet people or something like that.” 

He shook his head. “I must insist. It’s already been taken care of.” 

“Your brother talk to you?” she asked him. “You know he’s been coming by and helping out. Kind of impressed he gave enough of a damn to offer.”

“I appreciate you indulging him. The store has never been quieter.” 

_ Interesting. _ Sigyn leaned forward and stared at Thor. “What’s Loki’s deal then? Why did you give him a run of the place?” 

Thor sighed and rubbed his forehead. “It’s complicated.”

“Thor...” 

She knew she was pushing and that asking this much personal information from her manager was not professional at all. But all it took was tucking a piece of hair behind her ear with her plaster covered hand for what she gathered was a very edited story to come slipping out. 

“As you may know, our mother died last year,” Thor said quietly. She nodded, remembering reading about the armed robbery gone wrong and Thor being distraught for the better part of the month. The only reason she hadn’t attended the funeral was so she could hold the fort down at work. “For various reasons, it’s been difficult on Loki. It’s why I gave him such freedom. If he was there bothering you then at least I could keep an eye on him. Though I’m sorry that has now led to your current circumstance.”

“It’s fine, really,” she said, though the cast on her arm undercut her point, “I think something nice for those sampling ladies though…”

“I’ll look into it.” He gave her good hand a pat and stood to leave before pausing at the door. “Loki often requires much patience. I will not blame you if you run out of it around him.”

“Please, if I can handle hundreds of soccer moms fighting over plasma screen TVs on Black Friday, I’m sure I can handle your brother.” 

Thor’s tight knowing smile was not at all reassuring as he left her with the much too happy balloon and more questions than answers on the subject of his brother. 

***

Loki had predictably upon seeing the balloon stabbed it with his pocket knife. 

“Now it can’t hurt anyone ever again,” Sigyn said dryly, “Your brother stopped by. Looked very contrite.” 

“Should have taken a picture to show me,” Loki grumbled, staring at the crumbled plastic remains on the floor. “He’s never sorry about anything.” 

Sigyn raised an eyebrow at Loki’s description of his brother but just replied with, “I’m suddenly thankful I’m an only child.” 

Loki’s smile didn’t reach his eyes and during her bath that night he seemed particularly contemplative. 

“I realize I know nothing about the two of you,” Sigyn murmured as she flicked a bubble from the top of her knee, “But you should know that he did talk about how he cares about you.” 

He was barely present for the conversation, “I’m sure he cares that I do not somehow hurt you further.” 

“There are only so many times I can insist it was an accident. You caring enough to try to fix everything means a lot to me. Maybe after this, you could still stop by on occasion though I assure you that there will be far less nudity involved.” 

He gave a small laugh and her offer lifted his spirits considerably as he helped her get ready for bed. 

“I have been thinking,” Loki began, after slipping her into another selection of non-Hello Kitty pajamas (those had strangely disappeared), “this arrangement would be easier if you stayed with me.” 

“Really now?” Sigyn didn’t know what to make of that offer. Not that she wasn’t curious about how the other half lived, but she doubted she would feel anything but out of place at his house, “Is the hovel grinding down on you?” 

“Were it not in a crime-ridden area and if there were perhaps slightly fewer mice, it could qualify as a dwelling.” He shrugged. “Think of it as a vacation.” 

A vacation that was paid for by this asshole was definitely the perspective that made his offer much more tempting. And on top of worker’s comp as well. “But who will feed the mice?” Sigyn teased, batting her big brown eyes at him, making him roll his green, though his smile was unmistakably genuine. 

***

His house was huge. Obnoxiously huge. And it was just his house. Not his parent’s or his brother’s, just...his. 

“I’m actually shocked you let me through the door,” Sigyn remarked, trying not to drop her jaw on the perfectly polished wooden floor as she slowly spun around taking in the large open mansion. It actually had some warmth and color to it, with lots of wood accents and of course, the color green was the main feature. It was much cozier than the expensive houses she saw on HGTV that looked like clinical futuristic hospitals. “So nice of you to share with the peasants.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Loki muttered, but didn’t look too displeased at her general reaction, “Let’s get you set up in one of the guest rooms and then I believe there was a mention of new clothing?”

“Why do I feel like you’re more excited for that part than me?”

“What can I say? Perhaps I just enjoy spoiling you.” 

That was a habit to encourage if Sigyn had ever heard of one, especially when he showed her into a room that was larger than her entire apartment, outfitted again in gold and green with dark wood accents. “Christ, Loki,” she breathed, staring up at the ceiling, “Is that a chandelier?” 

“It pulls the room together,” he insisted. “There’s also an en-suite and a small walk-in closet.” 

“Course there is.” She suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, her joking and explanations aside, she still felt he was going through a lot of trouble to apologize to her. 

“Do you not like it?” Her face must have betrayed her worry as Loki’s expression now matched. 

“I do,” she insisted, “It’s just a lot to take in.” She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, wondering what the hell Loki put into his every day to make it stay back so well. Glancing down at her ripped jeans and t-shirt, she felt so out of place she was sure the room would just chew her up and spit her back out on the perfectly manicured front lawn. 

“You’re worried about something,” Loki observed, looking plenty worried himself, moving to stand in front of her. “There are other rooms if you don’t like it.” 

“I really can’t articulate how much I do.” She shuffled her feet. “The, um, comments about my own living arrangements are just suddenly very clear to me. Just wondering why you’d want me of all people here.”

“Sigyn, this is a very large house and I live, as you do, by myself,” Loki soothed. “Trust me when I say that I want you to be here. Or, I suppose, more accurately,” he said as he glanced at his watch, “back in the car, as I do believe it is time to shop.” He grinned and Sigyn couldn’t help but be caught up in his own enthusiasm as she followed him out the door. 

***

“The navy,” Loki said, after helping her into what felt like outfit number 5,000 and suit number 348, making her climb up on the platform in front of the mirror yet again. “Compliments you much better than that horrid gray.” 

“Flattered,” Sigyn replied dryly, though she had to admit that he was right. “I was half expecting something in black or green seeing that you seem to wear little outside of that color scheme.” 

She tried buttoning up the buttons again to see how that looked, and she heard him quietly speak behind her, “My mother, before she passed, often told me I looked good in these colors.” He cleared his throat. “We were very close.” 

Sigyn looked up at him in the mirror, surprised that he had offered up this piece of information about himself. He was staring at the floor, playing with a ring on his index finger. “Well, she’s right,” Sigyn replied carefully, remembering what Thor had told her, “You always look nice. Especially opposed to me. I think I’m always going to need to bring you shopping with me.” 

When she turned to look at him he was crying, though he looked like he was trying to convince himself he wasn’t. “I’m sorry, I’m an ass,” he breathed, hurriedly wiping his eyes, red creeping in on his pale cheeks. “I was an ass to her before...I wasn’t there...If I’d been there I could have-” 

Watching his perfect composure break down so easily made her heart hurt as well as thankful they were alone in the dressing room. “Loki, breathe,” she said gently, using her fingertips to brush aside a few wisps of hair that had become stuck on his wet cheeks, “For all you know, you could have been killed as well. Then who would be around to rearrange the Costco erotica section by how jacked the people on the front cover are?” 

He gave a small forced shaky laugh slowly pulling her fingers from his face, holding her cast in his hand, examining it. “You aren’t supposed to get it wet,” he said hoarsely. “All that effort we’ve been through only to be ruined now-”

“I’ll risk it. Both the cast and the suit.” That made him laugh a little bit more, his fingers curling over her hand. They stood there for a moment, him trying to get his breathing back under control. 

“You want to go do something else? We can see a movie or get frozen yogurt as I truly believe you exist on the stuff.” 

“I hate movie theaters,” he breathed. “Maybe a movie at home.” He attempted a smile. “I’m sorry. This was supposed to be about assisting you. And now I’ve fucked this up as well.”

“Absolutely not, you are kidding me?” She eyed the already large pile of bags that had accompanied them from store to store. “This whole day has been amazing. And purchases aside, I wish we had started to hang out together sooner. You’re actually not all that bad.” 

Loki lit up a bit at that before another thought of his snuffed it out. “You’ve always been kind even when I was out ruining your life.” 

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mischief, but that title has already been claimed by my father who gambled away my college fund,” she insisted. It was his turn to look surprised at what she shared with him but she quickly continued on so he wouldn’t question further, “Let’s get that yogurt and go home. If a movie doesn’t interest you, I have piles of flash cards we can work through for that exam.”

“Oh, for mercy’s sake,” he said with a groan, “I am sure we can agree on a film much more interesting than the small warehouse worth of flashcards you carry around with you.” 

“Probably,” she agreed with a wink. She continued on about her exam as he helped her back out of the suit, wondering just how much of this ‘little piece of absolution’ as he called it had to actually do with her. 

***

Loki insisted that despite his earlier break down that violent movies were still on the table. Sigyn thumbed through his collection, calling out a question to him but only got an angry tirade from him as a response. 

“Thor always gets what he wants,” Loki hissed out as he stared at his phone, slouching down on the couch. “Always. Everything is always about Thor. Everyone likes him better than me and no matter what I do, he always one-ups me.” 

Sigyn looked up at him, confused. “Okay, my original question was which Keanu Reeves movie do you want to watch,  _ Speed _ or  _ The Matrix _ but I suppose your brother’s Facebook page is a fine choice as well.” 

“Forgive me,” he grumbled, “I just found out another old flame of mine and him are dating.” 

“That’s a bit cold,” Sigyn agreed. “ _ John Wick _ it is then. But I’m fast forwarding the bit with the dog because then I’m going to start crying.”

Loki handed her the remote as she sat next to him. “If you’d be so kind.” 

Maybe he just found these kinds of movies cathartic to watch as he did seem much calmer about half an hour into it. 

“I apologize for my earlier outburst,” Loki said unprompted. “Or two outbursts now, I suppose.”

“You’re fine,” Sigyn replied with a shrug “Just let me know if you want to talk or a hug or obviously I can find some more flashcards…”

“On the flashcard front, I believe I am sated for a lifetime.” He paused for a moment, keeping his eyes very much focused on the screen in front of them as he asked, “If you truly would not mind physical contact…though I suppose that sounds a bit clinical, does it not?”

“You’re fine,” she assured him again, shifting a touch closer to him, “I don’t mind. It’s not like I have time for Tinder. And when I do peruse trying to find a match is just...” she finished her sentence with a low breath out of the side of her mouth.  

Loki didn’t move his arm and she turned to him to find that he was intensely staring at her, looking confused. “You can not be serious.”

She pulled her knees up to her chest. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I have much to offer at the moment besides mice and my sparkling personality.”

“Sigyn, really,” Loki scoffed. “Come now, you’re smart and attractive and kind and…” he cleared his throat his cheeks glowing pink again. 

“You can keep going with that, Mischief, I’ll sit and listen all day.”

“Anyhow,” Loki continued slightly too loudly, “the only detractor you may have is your affinity for cartoon character pajama pants.” 

“I’d call that a victory,” she commented as she began flipping through Facebook as well, “and so in theory now that you’ve gotten rid of those pants…”

“They were barely pants at that point, they were rags.” He sighed and draped an arm casually around her shoulders, “Though it’s not like I exactly have been having any luck on that front either. Obviously.” 

“Sif, right?” Sigyn asked, holding up her phone to which he gave a nod. The girl on the screen had a beautiful smile and just looked so...polished. Like Loki always was. 

“Apparently my brother became a member at the health spa she owns. Of course, neither of them messaged me to warn me of their entanglement.” 

Sigyn set down her phone, looking back up at the TV. “I’m sure they weren’t trying to be malicious.”

“Or perhaps neither of them wanted to tell me. She deleted every single picture of me. It’s like I never existed in her life.” 

Sigyn was running out of things to say, Loki’s mood putting a damper on things. She silently stared at the screen but didn’t really take in all the shooting and punching. He fell silent as well, still flipping through his phone. “Or perhaps it is just custom to delete past lovers off one’s page.” 

She eyed his phone and saw that he was looking at her own page now. “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for there. Maybe you should download Tinder and we could start flipping through different picks for you.” 

“I refuse to use dating apps.”

“Not the point, asshat.” Sigyn nodded towards the TV. “Let’s just enjoy, then.”

Loki stared at her for a moment before clicking his phone off and slipping it into his pocket. “You’re too kind to me, you know?” 

“I’m often kind to my friends,” she murmured, watching Keanu take out a wave of bad guys on the screen. 

His response was the feeling of his fingertips brushing through the ends of her hair. It felt nice. Somehow more intimate than any previous time when she was nude in front of him. She settled into him and they continued to watch the movie together, her only remembering that she had rested her eyes for a moment and when she opened her eyes again, John Wick had turned into the Home Shopping network. She could feel Loki’s breathing coming out in low steady breaths and realized that he had totally curled around her, his head on hers and his other arm wrapped loosely around her waist. 

She closed her eyes again. Like hell, she was getting up now.


	3. Clumsy Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their day of fun and connection, Loki takes a hard left in their relationship that throws Sigyn for a loop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience on this next part! 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on what you think and as always, you can chat with me on my tumblr.

The next morning Sigyn found herself in her own bed and she couldn’t help but feel just a little disappointed. 

If there was one thing that had been painfully pointed out to her during this little arrangement it was just how much she missed physical affection. She had been so focused on getting her degree and living on her own that she had neglected other important aspects of life like friends and romantic prospects. 

Loki had certainly been attentive. She couldn’t help but feel a sharp stab of guilt at just how overboard he had gone in correcting his mistakes, especially as she glanced at the neat pile of bags in the corner of her room. The kindness was incredible and not anything she was used to, and made her a bit nervous but also excited to see him at breakfast.

She found Loki seated at the marble kitchen island flipping through his phone with a plate of half-eaten toast, looking as sharp and put together as ever, an obvious contrast to her well-worn clothes from the day before.

The question Sigyn meant to lead up to was the first thing she asked, “When did you end up waking up and moving me?” 

His voice sounded as if the inside of his throat had been rubbed raw by a pumice stone. “About four in the morning. I do hope your neck is alright. We were oddly...entangled.” 

Loki’s cheeks flushed with a light coral as he spoke, him not daring to look up at her. She smiled reassuringly, “I assure you, I am unscathed.” 

His phone apparently held far more entertaining information than the conversation he was trying not to have with her. In fact, his whole body looked like it was on high alert as she sat down across from him. 

_ Did I do something wrong? _ Everything had seemed to have gone so well yesterday, save the mental breakdown in the middle of suit shopping. But to be fair, who hadn’t had a moment of emotional weakness in a department store? Every holiday season at Costco made her want to walk around with tissues and a flask for all the soccer moms that walked through the doors. 

“Are you alright?” she asked carefully, tracing his gaze with her own, trying to get him to look up at her. 

“Mmm.” His response was measured and his eyes kept darting across the phone screen.  _ Probably looking at pictures of Sif again.  _

And why wouldn’t he? She was gorgeous and back in his life in this fairly traumatic way. All Sigyn had done was offer some wholesome physical comfort. Did she take things too far without realizing it? Did he think she wanted something more from him? Did she want something more from him? 

With a slight shake of her head, Sigyn sat down across from him, “Did you want to talk about last night?” 

He winced as he cleared his sore throat, “I just want to apologize for getting so, well,  _ physical _ , last evening.” 

“You don’t have to.” 

The response slipped out before Sigyn fully took the time to evaluate it, Loki’s eyebrows shooting up, but he also relaxed slightly, leaning back in his chair. “So I’m not a monster taking advantage of a poor girl’s situation?” 

“I don’t think a monster would particularly care,” she retorted, “Besides, I went off the pain medication a bit ago. I am fully capable of making my own decisions on just whom I should curl up with in the evening.” She frowned, “What makes you think I was somehow not consenting last night?”

“It was simply more,” he coughed again, “I feel odd saying this given how many times I have seen you sans clothing, but it was more...intimate...than perhaps our arrangement has allowed in the past.” 

Sigyn nodded in agreement, “We had more intimate conversations yesterday. Which I, well, enjoyed is not the right word. Maybe appreciated?” 

Loki’s face went through a confusing mix of emotions, from confusion to appreciation to,  _ was that fear _ , to just a blank slate that Sigyn was surprised to see as he replied, “As much as I also appreciated your company last night, I must inform you that I am not looking for a romantic companion at the moment. Though that may be assuming too much.”  

Sigyn kept her small smile glued to her face, cursing her damn heart for shooting up into her throat, attempting to strangle her. “That’s perfectly fine,” she said kindly, “I’m pretty sure you snore anyhow. May not be the best match.” 

“I do not stoop to such undignified behavior,” Loki said stiffly, the blankness of his face giving way to playful eyes. 

“No one is too dignified to snore,” Sigyn insisted, carefully pressing Loki’s buttons as she tried to not think of his rejection. Why would she be upset about such anyhow? Was she really so weak as to tumble for the first person whom she had spent a lot of time with? 

And what was it exactly about her that he had so firmly rejected? hor told her he had been crushing on her for a while now. Perhaps the emergence of Sif gave him hope for them reuniting? Not that she could blame him. As fun as their time was together, Sif was definitely much more a woman of his stature. Sigyn was simply an act of absolution turned enjoyable past time.

“By the way,” Loki drawled on, snapping Sigyn from her thoughts, “Forgive me, but my brother wishes to have a bit of a party next week to celebrate your freedom from the plaster cage you have to wear. You must tell me how you have made him feel so guilty for my own purposes.” 

“I was just very nice to him after the whole incident,” Sigyn replied, knowing full well this was simply an excuse for Loki to get with Sif. 

“Too much effort,” he teased, standing from the kitchen chair and walking over to the stove, “Would you like something to eat?” 

Sigyn heard herself say something but her brain was already off in a corner of her head, shutting off the lights where little flickers of hope had started to turn back on.

 

***

 

The next week Sigyn found herself becoming unbearably hyper-aware of Loki’s presence. 

What confused her was the adjustment in Loki’s attitude. Though he was always polite and gentlemanly, he seemed upset some nights to be helping, his fingers working buttons as quickly as possible, as if the sight of her being undressed was offensive to him. But then other nights he lingered just slightly longer than usual, with an added hand on her own or brush of her hair from her shoulder. 

They occasionally still watched movies, but earlier in the day and on different pieces of furniture. Loki withdrew earlier in the evenings a full three hours earlier than usual, leaving her alone with only the flickering TV screen to keep her company. 

His behavior was confusing, kept throwing her for loops, to the point where she just tried not to think about it anymore. By the end of the week, after much coaxing from a visiting Fandral while Loki was out and about, Sigyn had even downloaded Tinder and created a profile. 

“Let’s see then,” Fandral said, him already flipping through prospects. “Look this one seems your type. Curator at the local history museum. Very handsome.” 

“Let me see,” she said, with interest, trying to take her phone back as Fandral typed a message to his unsuspecting prey, “Fandral, come on, what did you write?” 

“Simply something eloquent about how needy you are for him.”

She gave him a look, “I will murder you in the freezer section.” 

Fandral looked playfully shocked, “Have a bit of faith, my dear. I did not say a thing. Though get ready because he’s messaged you. And shockingly not a picture of his cock.” 

She sighed as Fandral handed her back her phone. 

_ Theo: Hey there, lovely.  _

“Not the worst start I suppose,” Fandral evaluated, leaning over her shoulder, as Sigyn elbowed him with her good arm.

_ Sigyn: Hey yourself.  _

“Very romantic, a true poet of our times.”

“Shut up, Fan.” 

_ Theo: So what’s the best part about working at Costco?  _

_ Sigyn: I broke my wrist on the job and am currently enjoying six paid weeks off. Catching up on a lot of Netflix and movies.  _

_ Theo: So if you’re getting your doctorate do you only watch medical dramas then or do the inaccuracies turn you off? _

_ Sigyn: Only ER for George Clooney and House for Jennifer Morrison. Grey’s Anatomy is the plague.  _

_ Theo: I suppose you would know.  _

“Seems as though my work here is done,” Fandral said brushing off his hands as he headed towards the door, “I’ll see you in a bit!” 

She absentmindedly waved at him as she continued to type.

_ Sigyn: So does the History Channel bug you then?  _

_ Theo: I’m not sure we have quite enough time to unpack that at the moment.  _

_ Sigyn: I’ll just take that as a yes then.  _

_ Theo: It depends on your belief in alien life.  _

_ Sigyn: I work at Costco, I basically have proof of alien life. _

 

*** 

 

Texting Theo was fun. 

They liked a lot of the same things. He was cute and still hadn’t sent her a pic of his dick. He just seemed like he wanted to get to know her. Which was great. Amazing actually. 

And this was good for her, branching out and seeking other connections. Spending time with Fandral was even fun. Last thing she wanted was to get stuck on a particular person and not seek out any other romantic options because of that person. 

Anyway.  

“So if I may, there is something about Sif I do need to discuss with you,” Loki said the night before her cast removal at dinner, nearly causing Sigyn to drop her fork. 

“What exactly?” 

He paused for a moment too long, clicking his tongue a few times before saying, “Well. She may ask why you are here.”

“I’ll make it clear we’re not together,” Sigyn replied with a small smile, “That I’m only here because the rodent issue at my hovel is a bit too much to handle.” 

“I should call an exterminator for you,” Loki mused, fiddling with the stem of his wine glass, “Especially given how soon your cast will be gone.” 

_ Okay. I get it. You don’t want me here.  _

“I’m sure that’s not needed,” Sigyn insisted, “The mice aren’t that bad. I feel like Cinderella. Maybe I can sew them little clothes for my physical therapy.” 

Loki snorted. “Nonsense. Who knows what diseases they may be carrying. You’ll end up back in an urgent care, hopefully before you turn rabid.” 

She couldn’t help but smile. “One can only hope.” 

“Anyhow,” Loki said, clearing his throat, his tone turning much more serious, “As you may have gathered, Sif and I did not end well.” He paused, his fingers playing with his fork in his hand, “If she tells you anything about us tomorrow, would you give me the opportunity to hear my side of the story?” 

Sigyn chewed her food carefully, evaluating him before swallowing and responding, “Why don’t you just tell me now? Get it out of your system?” 

“Well, would you look at the time,” Loki said quickly, backing out of his chair and swiping both their plates up, trying to make sure the peas didn’t roll onto the floor, “I’d say it’s bedtime, don’t you?” 

“Loki…” But he was already out of the kitchen. Sigyn sighed, slowly standing from the table. 

Maybe her leaving was the best thing that could happen in this situation. Because this whole working towards connection only to have him keep jerking it back without explanation was only going to drive her insane. 


End file.
